Can you survive a week without your mobile and Blackberry? Yeoh Siew Hoon goes cold turkey in the golden land of temples.

I've just been reading a report about what it takes to keep the 21st century business traveler happy.

Apparently, the four top requirements are a direct flight, a flat bed, a Blackberry and being met at the airport – so said 1,000 business travellers who were surveyed at the recent Business Travel Show in London.

According to the survey, 62 per cent of respondents said a direct flight would make their journey more enjoyable. 48 per cent craved to see a chauffeur hold up a card with their name on at their destination airport. 46 per cent said they wouldn't be parted from their Blackberry for the world. 43 per cent longed for the undeniable luxury of a flat bed on their long-haul flights.

So there we have it – the 21st century business traveler is a spoilt and insecure species.

Spoilt because he or she craves luxuries and comforts and insecure because he or she can't do without their communication devices – some psychiatrists believe our fear of being without our mobiles or Blackberries stems more from insecurity than conscientiousness about our work.

In other words, we all need to be needed and we all want to feel indispensable in our jobs. Imagine if everything ran smoothly while we were away and were out of touch …

Anyway, the survey got me thinking that if they were ever to do similar research on what it takes to keep a 21st century leisure traveler happy, I am quite sure that top on the list would be no mobile phones and no Blackberries.

I say this because I have just spent a week in Myanmar, mobile-less and email-less.

And I am glad to say I survived. In fact, more than survived. I felt a sense of freedom and liberation that I had not felt in years. It was like walking on winged feet through a golden land of temples.

At first, it felt strange. In the first few hours of arrival, my mind kept wandering to my phone and laptop, wondering what messages I was missing and if I had missed any deadlines. My fingers actually started to itch.

Switching off my mind was infinitely harder than switching off my electronic gadgets.

It's hard when you are an SMS addict, like I am, to suddenly go cold turkey. But let's face it, if you have to go cold turkey, Myanmar is the best possible rehabilitation clinic on earth for us urban, email, mobile phone junkies.

This is a land that is timeless. It's a place steeped in time. People have time. They take time to do things. They do not rush. They sit. They talk. They pray. They smile a lot.

They do not have much but they have a lot.

It teaches you not to hurry because why worry? There is time.

By the time I went to bed at the Pansea in Yangon that first night, I was in step with Myanmar.

I dreamt of white clouds, not Blackberries.

During the course of the week, there were temptations thrown my way. Perish the idea but some hotels now actually have business centres with Internet facilities.

The temptation was strongest on "The Road to Mandalay" cruise from Mandalay to Bagan where I had to spend three nights on the ship in really close proximity to an Internet connection.

It was tough but whenever I felt the old habit creeping up on me, I immediately ordered a gin tonic, recited Rudyard Kipling and counted flying fishes.

I therefore recommend Myanmar to any 21st century business traveler who wants to learn to do without his or her Blackberry.

Truth is, it's amazing how easy it is to do without when you are forced to do without.

Editor's note:
Should resorts in remoter locations consider pulling the plug on their Internet connections and mobile phone receptivity to keep the 21st century business traveller happy? Send in your views and comments to The SHY Report, yeoh.sh@pacific.net.sg.



The SHY Report
A regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry by one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, Yeoh Siew Hoon.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her company's mission is "Content, Communication, Connection". She is a writer, speaker, facilitator, trainer and events producer. She is also an author, having published "Around Asia In 1 Hr: Tales of Condoms, Chillies & Curries". Her motto is ‘free to do, and be'.
Contacts: Tel: 65-63424934, Mobile: 65-96801460

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